Travel visas would hit tourism hard warns Wolsey

Stating that the province was already playing second fiddle to Dublin, Merchant Hotel owner Bill Wolsey said tourists would not bother coming if it became more bureaucratic.

Opening a new £7 million four-star hotel - Bullitt - in Belfast city centre at the weekend, Mr Wolsey helped lead the campaign for Remain before the referendum and had predicted minimal growth or recession before the poll.

“No matter how bad things get we are very good operators and we have been successful in some of the darkest days of the Troubles here and nothing can be that bad,” he said.

“But this has been a self-inflicted wound, which is thoroughly depressing.”

Movement of people between the EU and UK is one of the key areas up for negotiation when talks are triggered next year.

Mr Wolsey said: “If visas are introduced at all for the UK I think that would be hugely detrimental to our business because at the minute we play second fiddle to Dublin and if a tourist has to do one extra thing they will not do it.”

He said listing foreign workers was a crazy idea from Westminster.

“That alone shows the state of disarray that the Government are in, it is worrying on a whole range of levels.”

He added: “The dangers that would hit England, Scotland and Wales I think could be much more pronounced here in Northern Ireland.”

“We have entered the sleepy corporate world of four-star hotels.

“Think man in loafers, pink jumper tied around his neck.”

He said they were targeting the relatively affluent, aged 25 to 45.

“You have something which hopefully says something about people’s aspirations, which is representative of where they are.”

Guests ascending by lift to one of the 43 rooms will hear the voice of music critic and broadcaster, Joe Lindsay, “This is the second floor, so it is’, adding, “doors are opening, so they are”.